Wonders of Nature

Cheetahs, lions, hyenas and Golden Jackals set up wildebeest and gazelles as targets. The hunt is by far the most dramatic event on the plains of the Serengeti. But even the best hunters can be outrun and outwitted. Hunting is a dangerous game that is always partnered with risk. This episode looks at how evolution has honed the perfect hunter.

On The Defence covers defensive strategies that include the most powerful instinct, mother-love, the protection of the next generation. Birds defend their nests with gusto while cheetahs see off marauding hyenas in defence of their hard-earned food. It is the act of self-sacrifice or risk of self-harm that typifies a mother’s defence of her offspring.

Family covers the many different concepts of family in the natural world, the raising of cubs and chicks and the price the young pay in hostile takeovers. Male lions tolerate their own young but have nothing to do with their development. Blood-related hippos show acceptance of a lost relative with a touching display of family solidarity. Families in the animal kingdom are complex and compelling.